"We're half way there... Oh, Oh, Livin' on a prayer"

In the words of the ever youthful Mr JBJ...

As I prepare to leave Peru (by next Monday or Tuesday I should be in Ecuador) I can hardly believe that I'm (rather than We're) almost half way through my time away.

I was back in Lima very briefly. I ended up staying a day longer than I anticipated. A lovely Canadian woman, Caroline, was back in the same room we had shared three weeks before. She had just been mugged in Puno and lost pretty much everything, waking up on the floor having been unconscious for who knows how long. She was waiting for the Canadian Embassy and her parents to get her a new passport, cards, plane tickets. We had a couple of beers and a lovely evening out. So fingers crossed for Caro! And...note to Caro, good on you for not letting this ruin what is almost the end of what has been a brilliant year away, your feelings towards Peru and the people. Enjoy BA and give D more thought!

I am now travelling up the coast to Ecuador on the next stage of the trip. The bus journey to Huaraz from Lima (9 hours) was beautiful. The journey is through the mountains of the Cordilleras Negra and Blanca. I wish I had more time but you know what I'm like...I do something completely or not at all. I am not doing a 2 day trip most of which is spent on a bus or in a cafe gift shop. You need 7 to 10 days here to do these mountains justice by going high into the mountains, passes and lagunas, and certainly a few days to acclimatise to the altitude. This just has to go on the list of things to do in the near future - with a spot of paragliding thrown in if I can conquer my height / flight combination fear. There are over 200 summits here, the highest of which is over 6,000 metres. Even the view from my room is breathtaking: summits, glaciers, lakes, waterfalls.

I almost had my first travel disaster...I am booked into a rather nice hotel for two days (it was a bit of a treat). I went off this morning to book a bus to Trujillo for tomorrow: apparently it's very easy to do this as it's not high season. But no, I can go tonight, i.e. overnight on very uncomfortable seat, or on Saturday. So tonight it is. SODIT rating, Andre or not?

You only stay here for walking and I can't do a five day trip. I couldn't get on one until Saturday which would take me into the middle of next week. I'll never make it to Ecuador, Trudi and the Galapagos Islands! Decisions have to be made. So Kate...perhaps one year a trip here for one of our infamous two week treks? John S maybe you'll join us?

Final thoughts on my time in Peru. The people are very warm and open, and intensely proud. It is very easy to believe the initial impression of the street vendors who are after the tourist pound or dollar, and of course there's the muggings...But they have an incredible history and they are great people. The family I stayed with were wonderful. It was very sad to leave. I miss Marienala coming up to me every morning, kissing me on the cheek, leading me to my breakfast and saying, "aah Milly...¿Que tal?". I booked a plane ticket to Lima and it became obvious that in fact the travel agent comes with you in the morning to try and get the cheapest flight possible, i.e. you do not ACTUALLY have a ticket. He said that I might have to stay an extra day, but when I told him that was not possible he went to Lan Peru straight away and bought me a ticket that cost more than I had paid him.

There was an old man sitting next to me on the plane. Now that I speak a little bit of spanish it makes things easier and much more pleasant. There was no possibility of him carrying the packs he had brought onto the plane. He had a walking stick! So I carried his things off for him until at the luggage carousel I found a trolley and a strong airport man to help him. I was waiting for my pick up and suddenly this woman came running up to me with chocolate in hand thanking me for looking after her father. Across the room the old man was there waving at me!

People criticise Peru, just as they do London and those of us who live there, and I think we all know it's not such a bad city, don't we? LA has the same bad rap (and I did have my iRiver stolen), but as you know I met some great people there. People I want to know always and who were incredibly kind to me. Not to mention some of the people at the clinic...and you know how I feel about them and the work they do there.

The recent political history here is one of Dictatorships and corruption. But the people have a fervent belief that politics is important, that the right to vote, and to use that vote is vital, and that they can improve the situation for the poor.

That's it for now. More from Trujillo and Chicalyo at the end of the weekend adn perhaps some more photos. Take care all.